There's no indication the Marlins did any more than ruminate about the possibility of pursuing Nomar Garciaparra. But one high-profile player they are believed to have interest in is Pirates catcher Jason Kendall.

 

 

You don't need to be related to Pudge Rodriguez to know why. In their first year of the post-Pudge era, Marlins catchers rank 28th in the big leagues in RBI (28) and slugging (.312). They're 26th in batting average (.229). And only the Cardinals' catchers have fewer homers than Florida's three. That's a monstrous tumble from last year, when Marlins catchers hit .284, with 19 homers, 94 RBI and a .451 slugging percentage.

 

 

 

 

So Kendall would be a perfect fit. He was last seen hitting .308, with a .387 on-base percentage, and playing as well defensively as he has in years.

 

 

But to make a trade workable for the ever-thrifty Marlins, the Pirates would need to digest a big hunk of the $38 million Kendall has coming through 2007. And they've balked in the past at eating even half of the contract.

 

 

But teams that have spoken with Pirates GM Dave Littlefield say he is so driven to get Kendall's contract off the books, he undoubtedly wouldn't place anywhere near as high a price tag on Kendall as he has on Kris Benson.

 

 

Indications are that the two teams haven't had any more than exploratory talks. But that, apparently, is because the Marlins want to wait another week or two to see where they are in the race and to prioritize their needs. So could this still happen? Don't touch that dial.

 

Link

There's no indication the Marlins did any more than ruminate about the possibility of pursuing Nomar Garciaparra. But one high-profile player they are believed to have interest in is Pirates catcher Jason Kendall.

 

 

You don't need to be related to Pudge Rodriguez to know why. In their first year of the post-Pudge era, Marlins catchers rank 28th in the big leagues in RBI (28) and slugging (.312). They're 26th in batting average (.229). And only the Cardinals' catchers have fewer homers than Florida's three. That's a monstrous tumble from last year, when Marlins catchers hit .284, with 19 homers, 94 RBI and a .451 slugging percentage.

 

 

 

 

So Kendall would be a perfect fit. He was last seen hitting .308, with a .387 on-base percentage, and playing as well defensively as he has in years.

 

 

But to make a trade workable for the ever-thrifty Marlins, the Pirates would need to digest a big hunk of the $38 million Kendall has coming through 2007. And they've balked in the past at eating even half of the contract.

 

 

But teams that have spoken with Pirates GM Dave Littlefield say he is so driven to get Kendall's contract off the books, he undoubtedly wouldn't place anywhere near as high a price tag on Kendall as he has on Kris Benson.

 

 

Indications are that the two teams haven't had any more than exploratory talks. But that, apparently, is because the Marlins want to wait another week or two to see where they are in the race and to prioritize their needs. So could this still happen? Don't touch that dial.

 

Link

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